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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. H. HURLBUT. I

AUTOMATIC STATION INDICATOR FOR- RAILWAY CARS.

No. 372,373. Patented Nov. 1, 1887.

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AUTOMATIC STATION INDICATOR FOR RAILWAY CARS.

No. 372,373. Patented Nov. 1, 1887.

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4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Mod e1.)

J. H. HURLBUT.

AUTOMATIC STATION INDICATOR FOR RAILWAY CARS. No. 372,373.

Patented Nov. 1, 1887.

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AUTOMATIC STATION INDICATOR FOR- RAILWAY CARS. No. 372,378.

Patented Nov. 1, 1887 N. PETERS. PhotwLilhogrzphor, wasmn mn. 0.1:.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH H. HURLBUT, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE PACIFIC INDICATOR COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC STATlON-lNDlCATOR FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,373, dated November 1, 1887.

(N model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosEPH H. HURLEUT, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic StationIndicators for Railway-Cars.

My invention relates to improvements in operating street or station indicators in railway- 16 Cars; and it consisisin certain novel construe tion and combination of parts, as hereinafter fully described, for moving a web or apron having the names of streets or stations on it and for operating it in an automatic manner 1 under all conditions of travel of the car along the line of the road. The mechanism is' constructed and adapted to reverse themovement of the apron as often as the car changes its direction of travel without calling for adj ustment or any attention at such times. It is capable of being applied to work on cars that are turned end for end at the terminus of the road by a turntable, or otherwise, to present the same end of the car in the direction of 2 travel, as well as of being used on cars thatare reversed at the terminus of the road.

The object of my invention is to produce a simple and reliable indicating apparatus or mechanism for railwaycars having these features of adaptation, and requiring also no adjustment or attention when a car is changed from one track to the other, orits direction of travel is reversed.

The following description explains the na- 5 ture of my said improvements and the manner in which I proceed to construct, apply, and carry out the same, the accompanying drawings being referred to by figures and letters.

4 Figure lis a front view of theindieator with 0 the front of the case taken off and the apron and its guide-rollers omitted. Fig. 2 isa vertical section taken at about the line as m, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the actuating mechanism that is fixed to the running gear of the ear in close relation to projections fixed on the roadway. Fig. 4 is a top View of the mechanism in Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 show parts in detail. Figs. 7 and 8 show a modification of this actuating mechanism, in which gears are substituted for the belt or chain to operate the indicator in the reverse direction. Figs. 9, 10,

11, and 12 are details of actuating mechanism,

in which the levers that make contact with the fixed stops have simple oscillating movement upon a pivot instead of turning around it. Fig. 13 is a view from the right-hand side of Fig. 9. Fig. 14 is a plan of Fig. 13. Fig.

15 shows parts of the mechanism in perspective.

The apron-moving parts of the apparatus are arranged in the car as follows: 2 and 3 are two rollers set in bearings at a a in the inclosingcase 1, above and below the sightopenings. 4 5 6 7, &c., are smallerguide rollers turning loosely in bearings b b, and arranged in two sets, of which the setat the back of the case is composed of four rollers, and the other set, having two additional rollers, is arranged just behind the front plate.

The apron C has upon its face the names or matter to be displayed. It is attached by one end to the upper winding-roller, 2, and is carried from beneath it to the front and around the roller 4, that sets just below the line of the opening A", and thence it is carried upward 7 and over the roller 5, above the top of the opening. From this roller the apron is carried above the winding-roller back to the topmost roller, 6, of the rear set, then down to and under the next roller, 7, by which it is turned to the front again. From this roller 7 the apron is brought to the front and over the roller 8 and down to and under the next roller, 9. These rollers 8 and 9 bring the face of the apron in line with the sight-open- 8 ing A From the last'mentioned roller the apron is turned back to and over the roller 10, and thence down to and under the bottom roller, 11, which brings it to the front again,

where it passes underneath the lowermost o roller, 12, and around it to the roller 13,where it is turned backward to the winding-roller 3. By this arrangement of winding-rollers and guide-rollers the apron is brought in line with the three sight-openings A and A A and 5 will run smoothly, without excessive friction. The matter on one face of the apron is displayed at the opening A and that on the reverse side at the openings A. The rollers 7 and 10 are adjustable, for which purpose they '100 are set in slotted hangers 17, held by screws 23, taking through the slots and into the sides of the ease. Different thicknesses of material used for the apron will be found to require adjustment of some of the guide-rollers in order to make the apron wind smoothly and evenly as the layers accumulate on one or the other of the winding-rollers, and by making these rollers movable up or down the desired object will be obtained. The top windingroller is the'driving-roller, andthe bottom roller receives movement from it through sprocket-wheels 14 15 and a drive-chain, 16. One wheel is fixed to its roller; but the other wheel, 15, is fixed on a spindle, 20, that carries the other roller, but to which it is not directly fixed. The spindle passes through the heads of the roller and is attached to one head by the coil-spring 21, which is fastened at one end to the head and at the other end to the spindle.

As the drivechain 16 connects the two rollers in a positive manner, it is necessary to have one roller yield or turn on its spindle to compensate for the variation in the move ments of one roller over the other that takes place at the circumference as the apron runs from one roller and is taken up by the outer roller, and for this purpose the lower roller has a limited yielding movement upon its spindle, but also turns with the spindle by means ofits connection through the coil-spri ng.

For the winding-rollers I use wooden cylinders with metal heads, as shown in Fig. 1.

The apron-carrying mechanism is actuated from the shaft-B under the car-floor through the medium of a drive-chain, D,--and sprocket wheels 0 18, of which one is fixed on thelower roller and the other, C", is fixed on the shaft. The drive-chain D passes from the indicatorbox through an aperture cut in the casing behind the box and is carried between theinner and outer casing of the car, down to and under the seat, to the shaft B, suitable guidesheaves, (1*, being set inposition to turn and guide the chain. These parts,being covered by the wood-work of the car, are concealed from view and cannot be broken or thrown out of gear by mischievous persons. The shaft B is set in boxes B", under the car and close against the bottom, the chain being carried to the sprocket-wheel O through openings cut in the car-bottom.

On the shaftB there is secured a wheel with teeth or alternate elevations and depressions, which I shall here describe and refer to as a star-wheel, the elevations being rounded projections parallel with the axle of the wheel .and separated by depressed portions. This star-wheel S (seen at Figs. 9, 10, and 12 in side view and at Fig. 11 in plan) may have friction-rollers m set into the projections. It is fixed on theshaft directly underastiff platespring, M, to set in contaetwith and receive pressure of the free end of the spring, that is fastened at the other end, V, to some fixed point.

At the free end a sharp bend is formed in the lower face of the spring to present an acutely-pointed tooth or edge, m parallel with the general axis of the ribs or elevations. As these projections press against the spring in the rotation of the shaft, the acute edge of the projection under the edge m of the.

spring is required to be given to the starwheel, for the spring then produces the re mainder of the movement. As often as the star-wheel is thus set in motion the shaft B turns, and the length of this movement is calculated to turn the windingroller 2 a sufficient amount to change the apron. When the elevated point of a star-wheel passes the tooth of the spring, this projecting part slips intoa space or depression and locks the wheel until another movement of the shaft takes place. It should be mentioned that this star-wheel and spring may be dispensed with where the construction of the cars and the roadway is favorable to a perfect and reliable coaction of the actuating-levers and the fixed stops. A smooth and solid track and roadway and well-constructed cars may not require this attachment to insure the proper amount of rotation in'the shaft B. The mechanism actuating this shaft is fixed on the truck or upon some portion of the running-gear not affected by the rise and fall or oscillations of the car-bod y on its springs.

It is set to engage with stops or projections P fixed along the roadway and sufficiently raised above the surface between the tracks. In its simplest form it consists of several bent arms or levers rigidly fixed on a shaftin a radial manner to present their ends in close relation to the projection P.

The bent end of thelever extending forward of the pivot is carried along in close relation to the surface and in the line of the projections P by the movement of the car along the track. The shaft II has bearings in the plates I I,that are fixed tosome part of the truck not affected by the motions of the car body, and the driving belt or chain 9 is carried from a pulley or sprocket wheel, 0 on the shaft Hup to and around a similar wheel on the shaft B above. As the bearings of this shaft B are fixed on the car-body, it is subject to more or less vertical movement, and its position with reference to the shaft below changes under the motion of the car-body. To compensate for this,Iplace floating pulleys E between the two sprocket-wheels and carry the drivegiven four arms are fixed on the shaft H and the length of movement produced atthe shaft Bis calculated to move the indicatorapron the required distance at each time.

It will be seen that by providing each arm with two projecting ends facing in opposite directions, as shown in Fig. 6, the mechanism will operate whether the car is traveling forward or backward. This construction is applicable to cars that are shifted from one track to another,by a turntable or otherwise,to present the same end in the direction of travel, and also to cars that are turned end for end, by substituting the form of levers in Fig. 6 for the one shown in Figs. 3 and 5.

Instead of employing the cross-chain and guide pulleys to produce the reverse or contrary movement, however, the arrangement ofgearing and chains shown in Figs. 7 and 8 can be used to advantage. In such case the intermediate shaft, B ,is geared into the shaft above by spur-gears G G", and one set of leverarms, H, that comes in action to produce the contrary movement of the shaft B where the ear is switched or shifted to the other track, is connected with the shaft B by sprocketwheels E" and chain 9. The other set of leverarms, H, on the other side of the center line of the track, is connected directly to the shaft B by sprocket-wheels and chains 0, E, I), and g g In its operation, therefore, this arrangement of the mechanism turns the shaft B in one direction or the other, according as one set or the other of the lever-arms is in action. Vhen one set is engaging with the line of fixed stops in the track, the other set of arms, being out of line, does not work, and vice versa. The two sets of arms H and H therefore turn independently of each other on the center HF, which in this case is a fixed shaft. In this construction a stanwheel, S, is fixed on the center of each of the leverarms H H instead of the shaft B. The levers R It", Figs. 9, 10, 11, 12, have oscillating movement instead of rotation upon the center H", and this movement,being produced by contact of the roller on the projecting end with the fixed stops P, is caused to turn the shaft B a given portion of a revolution through the medium of a pawland-ratchet'wheel connection between the upper end of the lever and the shaft. Two of these levers are placed side by side on opposite sides of the center line of the track, and the stops Pin each track are set on the same side, so that one lever is in action while the car is on one track and the other lever when the car is returning on the other track. The horizontal member B of the lever is furnished with a tractionwhecl, K,and the end of the upright part is connected by a rod, G", to an oscillating lever, F that is at tached at f to the car-body. To this lever is attached, by a pivot -joint, the ends of the rods F F furnished with books F F on the opposite ends. One hook F is set under and the other hook above the ratchet- Wheel to work in contrary directions, and

when one is in action the other takes such position that the projections of the wheel readily pass over the hook without catching, while the other hook acts to turn the wheel. The two levers are pivoted at H in the box 1*, that is suspended from the axleboxes by braces XV \V, in close relation to the surface of the roadway, to bring the wheels K K in position to stand in the path of the projections I. As thus placed and connected, one lever, It, of the set engages with the stops 1, that are fixed in line on one track to move this lever, but to clear the roller K of the other lever, while the transfer of the car at the end of the route to the other track bringsthe other lever, R into line with the stops on that track, and the operation of the mechanism is reversed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with the drums or rollers connected together to be driven positively one by the other and adapted to move a web or apron carrying names or matter to be displayed, as described, of the shaft B, sprocketwheels 0 l8, floating pulley E between them, and d rive-chain I), the levers pivoted and movable in bearings on the truck-frame or runhing-gear of the car, having ends projecting on the path of fixed stops, as P, in the track to engage with and be moved by said stops in passing over them, and mechanism, substantially as herein described, connecting said levers and said shaft B positively together for producing intermittent and partial rotation of the shaft at each time of contact with said stops, as herein set forth.

2. In a station-indicator apparatus for railway-cars, the combination of the intermittently-rotating shaft B, adapted, by its connection with the indicator-box above, to move the web or apron mechanism thereof, the star-wheel S, and spring lliI, mounted over and bearing upon the star-wheel, and mechanism, substantially as herein described, fixed on the truck or running-gear of the car in relation to stops or projections on the roadway to be actuated by contact therewith, and by such contact to turn the said shaft B, as herein described.

3. In a station-indicator apparatus for railway-cars, the combination, with the principal actuating shaft B, of the intermediate shaft, B B geared together as described, revolving lever-arms H H, mounted below the intermediate shafts, sprocket-wheels O 0 and E E E drive-chains g g g g, and gears G and G connecting the parts H H" to the main shaft, all constructed and applied to operate substantially as hereinbefore described.

4. The combination, with the shaft B, adapted to operate the indicator in the ear, of the star-wheel S, shaft H", with radial arms or levers presenting bent ends in the path of projections on the roadway, links m W and m m connecting shafts B and H", and pulleys mounted in said links and drive chains thercfor, as set forth.

5. The combination, in a suitable case, of the web or apron having matter for display arranged on both sides, the winding-rollers 2 3, the series of rollers 4 5 8 9- 12 13 at the front, and the rollers 6 7 ll at the back, set with relation to the said openings as described, the actuating-shaft B, and connecting drive-chain and sprocket-wheels, and mechanism, substantially as described, actuated by stops or projections in the roadway, whereby rotation of said shaft B at intervals is automaticall y produced through the'movcment of the car on its track.

6. The combination of the indieator-case having sightopenings A A A and the guiderollers arranged at the front and back with respect to said openings, so as to present one side of the apron to the center opening and the other side to the other openings, as described, the winding-rollers 2 3, connected by chain and sprocket-wheel, the spindle 20, extending through roller 3, and spring 21, secured at one end to spindle and atthe other to the head of the roller, all constructed and applied for operation as set forth.

7. The combination, in a suitable ease having sight-openings A A" at one side or front,

of the apron-winding rollers 2 3, guide-rollers 4 5 6 8 9 11 12 13, adjustable rollers 7 and 10, spindle 20, spring 21, connecting the roller to its spindle, the drive-chain 16, sprocket-wheels 14 and 15, and mechanism connected with one of said rollersto rotate the same in either di' rection.

8. In a stationindicator apparatus for railway-cars, arms or levers on the truck or running gear of the car or formed to present substantially horizontal ends or members in the path of projections P, fixed in the roadway and to be moved by contact thereof, the sprocket-wheels O 18, and drivechain D, connecting the indicator-actuating mechanism above with the shaft 13, and connecting pulleys and chains or equivalent gearing connecting said levers with the said shaft B for producing movement of the indicator Web or apron in one or the other direction, as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand and seal.

JOSEPH H. HURLBUT. [L. s.] \Vitnesses:

0. WV. M. SMITH, CHAS. E. KELLY. 

